Thursday, 15 May 2014

Danger, aka Franck Revoire, has been in the shadows for quite some time. With his last EP 9/17 2007 released in 2010, it seems that Danger has spent the last 4 years rediscovering the Danger story.

When we last encountered Danger, it was a very urban scene but we now find ourselves back in the jungle with a battered Danger mask. With the release of a very mechanized trailer, showing machines building his new mask, we get the sense that not only are the Danger aesthetics changing, but also his sound.

As a huge fan of Danger's video game/chiptune influences in his prior EP's, I was very skeptic of the new sound at first. However, July 2013 breaks the previous Danger conventions in more ways than one, but for the better.

We are brought into this new realm with 1:09. This track starts off with a slow building synth with ominous brass sections coming in slowly, reminiscent of an introduction to a Ridley Scott film. We then are brought into the epic orchestral break which really sets the tone for this album. Danger has proven his knowledge of orchestral arrangement in the past with 3h16 & 00:00 and continues that pattern here.

1:13 similarly starts with a slow, curious plucking. This track has some interesting leads and breaks then ultimately turns into a cinematic finish of guitar and brass.

1:30 is by far my favorite track on this EP. The intro is very Halloween/Nightmare on Elm Street feeling and the drop is incredible. A powerhouse of a track that moves well from power riffs back into gentle piano seamlessly. The music video on Danger's Vevo page for this is also his premiere music video and one hell of a visual accomplishment in CGI.

1:42 leads in with an ominous piano melody that reverbs itself away until your hit with a wall of sound. This track is very trap influenced and playful, showing both skill in arrangement of classical music and integration of newer influences of Mr. Revoire.

Overall, Danger lays down another solid EP with July 2013. Keeping the essential Danger influences and also bringing in new drum patterns with orchestral sections, this EP is Danger flexing his muscle in musical knowledge and seems like a taste of what's to come.

Also make sure to check out his new Danger Blockbuster Tournament on YouTube and check out my entry. :)

Sunday, 30 March 2014

Veteran producers and favorites of blogs past (such as discodust and French express), The Swiss are out with an explosive new EP titled In The City. It includes three original productions and two remixes by Adapt or Die and Luke Million. The album contains The Swiss' trademark chord use and drums, but at the same it has an updated feel much more aligned with current tastes. That being said, if you prefer that pre-2009 sound, Antiquities( the second track of the ep) is what you're looking for. I give the EP a 4.5/5

Thursday, 27 March 2014

The elusive Danger returns for his long awaited 4th EP titled, "July 2013". Danger has been known to sit on his work for long periods of time before releasing, most importantly his full length album. His premiere album was said to be completed over 2 and a half years ago however, was finished around the time that Justice released, "Audio, Video, Disco" and Franck Rivoire decided to wait. From that point, the electronic world also saw a shift in production style, which could have prompted Danger to revamp his sound, resulting in what the latest teaser for his new EP hints at.
To me, Danger's original sound of video game influence, strong emotional melodies, and pounding drum patterns created his own pocket of electro that stood out from the rest. Soon after many followed his lead creating similar styling with 8 bit/chiptune influence. This new sound of his is obviously very trap/dub influenced which has worked in some of his unreleased interludes floating around youtube, but will it be a transformation of his prior sound? Only time will tell.
But for now, let's all get excited for some new Danger.

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Hawaii 94's latest effort, Nightvision, is nothing short of brilliant. A Synth addled adventure set in a Dreamwave universe, Nightvision gives us a brilliant balance of music and expression. To my ears it teeters oh so gracefully between the Wild Nothing-esque Beach rock guitar and vocals and fundamental synth melodies, tropical beats and a touch of Shoe Gaze. The combination of all these elements give us a unique and fresh listening experience. I can see Hawaii 94 doing great things, and with up and coming Stellar Kinematics as their label it's only a matter of time before they hit it big in the Australian indie and French electro scenes. I give the Album a 5/5, and will be anticipating more great music from this talented producer in the future!

There are some musicians whose musical style just catches your ear. For me, one of these styles was that of young French producer Nior | The Discus Thrower. With a solid remix of the Beatles classic Elanor Rigby and his Sax infused electro track titled Beside you, I was excited to talk to him about his music and his production!

How did you get into music production?

I started around
ten years ago, at the time I listened to a lot of 90’s old-school hip hop and primarily
worked on making beats. Then I started going out to electro concerts and it
made me want to create my own electro sound. This is how my music changed. When
I started to go to electro shows it really inspired me delve into the genre and
I began experimenting with it and tried to create my own distinct sound.

How
would you describe your sound?

I try to give my tracks melodic and groove oriented and maybe just a touch
melancholic. At the same time, I try to make them new and different by interpreting
these traits through a wide range of sounds and melodies. I think this is a
fundamental thing that distinguishes my music

What musical genres and musicians inspired you?

My favourite
artist is definitely Stevie Wonder; I can’t get enough of his music.

I also love
and get inspiration from the Californian sound from the 70’s (Artists such as Christopher
Cross, The Doobie Brothers, Michael Franks, The Eagles, Chris Rea etc.) as well
as English pop groups such as The Alan Parsons Project, Electric Orchestra, The
Beatles.

What programs and hardware do you use?

I’ve been
using Ableton for a few months. Before that, I worked on Fruity loops, but Ableton’s
quality is better, and it software offers more possibilities both in production
and live.

What is in your playlist right now?

There are
some tracks which I listen to over and over… such as Stevie wonder’s- the best song ever. Other
than that, I've been listening to a lot of blues artists such as Eric Clapton and
JJ Cale.

As for contemporary
music:
Dead living things by Jackson and his
computer band.
Done Wrong by Pretty lights

Both are great tracks!

You recently did an amazing remix of The
Beatles' Elanor Rigby, any remixes of other classic musicians planned?

Yes I have
been working on a remix of Doobie Brothers’ “Echoes of Love”, a bit more funky
than the last one. I find remixes to be a good way to attract
people’s attention so I’ll probably make another mix if I get inspired!

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Hello electronic music fans and music fans alike,
My name is Corey and I'm a new contributor to Disco with a Shotgun, thanks again Daanish for letting me be a part of this!
So I wanted to begin by saying I am an avid electronic music enthusiast, or at least I was a year or two ago. When Justice released Cross, Danger released his breakout EP's, and many other artists really came into their own, their music was cutting edge and abrasive. Many didn't know what to make of the distorted synths and churning drum patterns. It was the start an incredible few years of production between artists, primarily in my eyes, Justice, Boys Noize, Danger, Mille, Ishivu, all of the Ed Banger Crew and a number of other small time producers coming out of the woodwork. I'd be so proud to Dj a party and play this underground electro, people didn't even know what to make of it but always ended up dancing and feeling the beat. Then things began to change.

i
The "EDM" craze began in America around 2010 and now, I can't turn on my radio without hearing a Avicii or a Calvin Harris song blaring with some interchangeable pop star spewing a random vocal. It seems like almost overnight, the mainstream heard electronic music and completely raped it into submission. For a while, I couldn't even listen to a lot of the music blogs I frequented, just due to the lack of unique sound that electronic music once had. There was feeling and emotion before but it had been replaced by generic hooks and gimmicky synth leads. However, the god fathers of electronic saved the electronic world with their album, or should I say album of the year. Daft Punk releasing Random Access Memories was a swift kick in the pants to the electronic world and really raised some questions about production. Those producers doing the same production methods they have since they started(Diplo, Avicii, etc.) of course didn't understand the album, calling it a flop, but for most, was seen as a wake up call. Not all funky, disco music needs to be sampled to a 4 on the floor beat on your laptop in 10 minutes. Put some soul back into the music people.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way, here are some of my favorite tracks at the moment.
Boys Noize has always stood out to me for his versatility, this Chromeo Remix is no exception. Although I'm not crazy about the entire trap music craze, Boys Noize puts his own touch on it and makes this track really memorable. The floating synths and snares make this song really glide along. Great track.
Madeon grabbed my attention when he made his debut, "Pop Culture" mashup video on youtube. The preciseness of his beats and the sampling blows my mind to this day. Here is his latest song released last night via SoundCloud. Enjoy and dance it up.
Another worthy mention, although he has deleted most of his music, is Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5. His soundcloud was flooded with literally hundreds of tracks he made, most trolling Afrojack, but some that were his own experiments with music that were pretty damn amazing. It's interesting to see his thought progression in producing, make sure to follow him on soundcloud, who knows when he'll go on another producing spree.
That's all for now music heads, take care.
-Corey